If you have kids who are about ready to start a new sport but are feeling a little nervous about it, there are all kinds of things that you can do as their parent to help them prepare, feel confident, stay safe, and have a great time. You can help them to have a great experience with this new sport and even turn it into something that they love doing for the rest of their life.
To help make this a positive experience for everyone, here are three ways to help your kids start a new sport.
Play With Them
For many kids, doing something they’ve never done before can be scary and intimidating. So if your kid is signed up to start a new sport soon, something that you can do to help them prepare is to play this sport with them before they officially start on their team. Even if it’s a team sport that requires more than just two players, getting out there and playing around together can help take some of the apprehension out of starting this new sport.
As you play this sport with your child, even if you don’t really know what you’re doing, you’ll not only help them get familiar with playing, but you can also work to strengthen your relationship with one another. And, as your child gets more used to using their body in this way, they can also help to avoid injuries that might come from playing sports, too.
Consider Grouping By Skill Level
As you’re getting ready to sign your kid up for this new sport, you may want to consider what type of team you sign them up for.
While groping kids by age can work well when they’re younger, if your child is starting this new sport when they’re a bit older, you may want to consider signing up for a team that groups based on skill level. This way, your child will be playing with kids that have a similar skill level and experience level as they do, which can make for a much more enjoyable experience for them.
Don’t Put Too Much Pressure On Them
Although you might be feeling very excited about your child starting with this new sport, to help them have the best possible experience with it, you should do everything you can to take the pressure off of them. Stress to them that you just want them to have a good time, get some exercise, and learn something new. Try not to put expectations on their performance, offer them incentives for winning, or just push them too hard if it doesn’t seem like something they’re enjoying.
If you have kids that will be starting a new sport soon, consider using the tips mentioned above to help make this a positive experience.
